Just goes to show the drawing power of the classics on the big screen at the Ziegfeld, whether it’s classic movies or a classic Verdi opera. Give people real quality stuff and they will come out for it.
Sinatra was really down on his luck in those early ‘50s years. My dad used to talk about a benefit concert he gave at the Union Club in Hoboken NJ (Sinatra’s home town, and mine) around this time. The audience heckled him and made fun of his singing voice. “From Here to Eternity” turned his career around and put him back on top shortly afterwards, but he never forgave Hoboken and didn’t return there for many years. I think the next time he came back there publicly was for his honorary doctorate from Stevens Institute of Technology, in (I think) 1985.
I just hope the Music Hall doesn’t get damaged from those nutty Charlie Sheen audiences, when they inevitably turn on him for having wasted their money to see him. Geez, what did they expect?
43 years ago today at the Capitol: the press screening of “2001: A Space Odyssey”, with Stanley Kubrick in the projection booth.
Paul Noble, who was there, posted the following 3 years ago:
Three nights in advance of the NY premiere, I attended the first press screening of 2001 at the Capitol at its full-length. I believe it clocked in at 161 minutes. The place was packed, but after intermission several hundred people were missing. During the closing credits, there were just two of us left, the other being Gene Shalit who was “conducting” “The Blue Danube”. I turned around at the end and waved to Kubrick in the booth and gave him a thumbs up. In the lobby, I joined a heated conversation with Judith Crist, Bruce Bahrenberg and other critics, who were loudly putting the picture down. I told them about “The Sentinel,” the landmark Clarke short story, and what the possible meaning of the picture was. They laughed me out of the lobby! The director cut the film, supposedly on the print, over the next few days, and the shortened version was the one which opened at the premiere. I’m still a great fan of 2001 with its enormous impact on future motion pictures, and the Capitol Cinerama as it was on that night with that gigantic curved screen, even in sharp focus from my third row seat!
posted by PaulNoble on Apr 3, 2008 at 1:54pm
When I saw “The Absent-Minded Professor” (not at the Music Hall, unfortunately), I recall being surprised it was in black and white and not Technicolor. I guess Disney was on an economy drive in those days, although I’ll bet that movie made a fortune for the studio.
Thanks, Tinseltoes, for giving the Music Hall its 3,000th post on Cinema Treasures. Only two other theatres have so many: The Ridgewood in Queens NY and the Ziegfeld in NYC.
Jon: I’m glad I now get to thank you personally for the “2001” Glendale ads. I have copies of two of them posted on the wall in my workspace: “Toronto’s Favourite Motion Picture Celebrates its First Year” and “SEE the Big Brother of Apollo IX’s Lunar Landing Vehicle”. Pure showmanship – I love ‘em! Thanks again.
Thanks Pete. Hopefully when they show it again the projector will be fixed. Opening days sometimes don’t turn out as well as they should. But it sure was painful to hear the show was sold out. I actually asked someone if I could stand in the back or sit on the floor. And all over the museum were artifacts from “2001” to haunt me: the makeup materials I mentioned, books about it in the bookstore, the soundtrack album on display in the film music exhibit, etc.
I raced to get there on time from NJ, with the subway system in disarray due to construction. Got there at 3:40 PM for the 4:00 show, only to find it was sold out. At least I got to see the newly renovated museum, and one of the exhibits had the ape masks, hand and feet appendages from “2001” on display. They also promised to show the 70mm print again later this year.
Vito: the new site gives us the ability to remove our own posts. Maybe this explains the 5 missing posts. Tinseltoes may have deleted them himself.
I wonder where they got Sonny from? The name I first entered as my username back in 2003, BillHuelbig, also comes up in every one of my posts now.
My niece Lisa Applegate in Judy’s handprint.
The original painting used as the background for the opening credits of “How the West Was Won”.
Found under the seats.
The Cinerama screen at the Dome right before a showing of “2001: A Space Odyssey”
Hey, I just checked the photos and it HAS been deleted. Thank you, whoever did that.
Sorry guys. I posted the wrong picture (Los Angeles Theater) on this page. I asked for help in getting it deleted, but haven’t heard from anyone yet.
“The Tree of Life” opens today at only two theaters in NY and two in LA. I assume the Chinese isn’t one of them, but wouldn’t it be nice if it was.
Just goes to show the drawing power of the classics on the big screen at the Ziegfeld, whether it’s classic movies or a classic Verdi opera. Give people real quality stuff and they will come out for it.
Sinatra was really down on his luck in those early ‘50s years. My dad used to talk about a benefit concert he gave at the Union Club in Hoboken NJ (Sinatra’s home town, and mine) around this time. The audience heckled him and made fun of his singing voice. “From Here to Eternity” turned his career around and put him back on top shortly afterwards, but he never forgave Hoboken and didn’t return there for many years. I think the next time he came back there publicly was for his honorary doctorate from Stevens Institute of Technology, in (I think) 1985.
I just hope the Music Hall doesn’t get damaged from those nutty Charlie Sheen audiences, when they inevitably turn on him for having wasted their money to see him. Geez, what did they expect?
I saw a fantastic double feature here in the ‘70s: “Forbidden Planet” and “2001: A Space Odyssey”.
43 years ago today at the Capitol: the press screening of “2001: A Space Odyssey”, with Stanley Kubrick in the projection booth.
Paul Noble, who was there, posted the following 3 years ago:
Three nights in advance of the NY premiere, I attended the first press screening of 2001 at the Capitol at its full-length. I believe it clocked in at 161 minutes. The place was packed, but after intermission several hundred people were missing. During the closing credits, there were just two of us left, the other being Gene Shalit who was “conducting” “The Blue Danube”. I turned around at the end and waved to Kubrick in the booth and gave him a thumbs up. In the lobby, I joined a heated conversation with Judith Crist, Bruce Bahrenberg and other critics, who were loudly putting the picture down. I told them about “The Sentinel,” the landmark Clarke short story, and what the possible meaning of the picture was. They laughed me out of the lobby! The director cut the film, supposedly on the print, over the next few days, and the shortened version was the one which opened at the premiere. I’m still a great fan of 2001 with its enormous impact on future motion pictures, and the Capitol Cinerama as it was on that night with that gigantic curved screen, even in sharp focus from my third row seat!
posted by PaulNoble on Apr 3, 2008 at 1:54pm
When I saw “The Absent-Minded Professor” (not at the Music Hall, unfortunately), I recall being surprised it was in black and white and not Technicolor. I guess Disney was on an economy drive in those days, although I’ll bet that movie made a fortune for the studio.
Thanks, Tinseltoes, for giving the Music Hall its 3,000th post on Cinema Treasures. Only two other theatres have so many: The Ridgewood in Queens NY and the Ziegfeld in NYC.
I missed West Side Story here two years ago. Plus, it is the 50th anniversary year. I hope it does play here again.
Jon, I can safely say that of all the ads I’ve seen over the years for my favourite (note Canadian spelling) movie, “2001”, yours were the very best.
Jon: I’m glad I now get to thank you personally for the “2001” Glendale ads. I have copies of two of them posted on the wall in my workspace: “Toronto’s Favourite Motion Picture Celebrates its First Year” and “SEE the Big Brother of Apollo IX’s Lunar Landing Vehicle”. Pure showmanship – I love ‘em! Thanks again.
But they’re still close friends, or so I’ve heard.
Ted Turner should buy it and make it a permanent home for Turner Classic Movies screenings. Maybe Jane Fonda can talk him into that? :)
Thanks Pete. Hopefully when they show it again the projector will be fixed. Opening days sometimes don’t turn out as well as they should. But it sure was painful to hear the show was sold out. I actually asked someone if I could stand in the back or sit on the floor. And all over the museum were artifacts from “2001” to haunt me: the makeup materials I mentioned, books about it in the bookstore, the soundtrack album on display in the film music exhibit, etc.
It was “2001” that was showing at 4 PM. “Playtime” showed at 1 PM. I wonder if that was sold out as well.
I raced to get there on time from NJ, with the subway system in disarray due to construction. Got there at 3:40 PM for the 4:00 show, only to find it was sold out. At least I got to see the newly renovated museum, and one of the exhibits had the ape masks, hand and feet appendages from “2001” on display. They also promised to show the 70mm print again later this year.
Tinseltoes: About the screen size in 1933 … I’ll bet REndres knows!
Vito: Just a guess here, but I’ll bet “The Rumble” was one of the scenes in West Side Story where you turned up the volume.